Amazon turns down Philly for HQ2

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After a year-long competition, Amazon has made a decision on where its second headquarters will be.

Amazon made the announcement Tuesday morning that Long Island City in Queens, New York, and Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, will be splitting the HQ2 project, which is expected to cost $5 billion and create 50,000 jobs.

That means the 18 other finalists, including Philadelphia, will not be getting Amazon's second headquarters.

Tuesday Mayor Jim Kenney issued the following statement:

"While Philadelphia was not ultimately chosen for Amazon’s HQ2, I thank Amazon for its consideration and am honored that we were among the top contenders.

"I also recognize the value of this competitive process, which has benefited our city in many ways. It put Philadelphia in the national (and international) spotlight – increasing our visibility to other companies and showing our viability for other large-scale projects. It also required key stakeholders from various sectors to come together like never before and unite around a shared message and strategy for our city.

"I am hopeful that we will continue to harness the energy found throughout this process and apply it to future business attraction, retention, and expansion efforts in Philadelphia."

Last week, when the Wall Street Journal first reported that Amazon made up its mind and Philadelphia wasn't picked, Kenney dismissed the report and others as rumors, and he expressed optimisim.

Now, several reports indicate that Amazon may announce other major projects for more cities. What those could be and whether Philadelphia is in the mix is not clear.

The announcement ends a competition that has been roiling since September 2017. There were 238 proposals from all across North America. Philadelphia's pitch was that the city was in the "Goldilocks Zone" — everything just right for Amazon to come on in. City officials did not comment, however, on any of the tax incentives that they offered.